NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) — The Bahamas Government says young women have always been free to attend school with their hair “in its natural state” as it denied reports that a student had been suspended last week from the CR Walker Senior High School due to a breach of the school code.

“We are fully cognisant of the sensitivity of this matter and are confident that after review with the school administrator, the school board and the individuals involved, the matter will be amicably resolved,” the Ministry of Education said in a statement.

The statement gave no details on the incident, but said “we at the Ministry of Education appreciate the natural and cultural heritage of The Bahamas and of the responsibility of the educational process to reflect and respond to that cultural heritage with tolerance and understanding.

“To this end, young women have always been free to attend school with their hair in its natural state provided it is properly groomed and neat,” the ministry added.

It said one of the requirements of the Bahamas National High School Diploma is that every student must now complete 20 hours of job readiness training in a senior high school.

“This includes training in grooming (including hair), hygiene, filling out a job application, preparing a rèsumè proper manners, etc.”

The Ministry of Education said that this has been included as part of the graduation requirement because “employers have long bemoaned the fact that graduates are ill prepared for transition to the workforce and have a lack of understanding in these basic areas.

“The job readiness training is intended to address these deficiencies.

“Students are in school to receive a quality education and to be prepared for tertiary education and/or the workforce. Any decision regarding grooming is done so at the discretion of the school’s administration and we have every confidence in their ability to make decisions in the best interest of the students and the school at large.”

The Government said that education is everyone’s business and it was encouraging “parents to continue to work with school administrators and teachers to ensure that our children receive a quality education and get the maximum benefit from their educational experience”.